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With the 44th overall pick in the 2014 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft, the Philadelphia Union selected University of Redlands soccer standout Richie Marquez.

He was the only NCAA Division III student-athlete among this year’s class of draftees. Marquez, a graduate of Bloomington High School, becomes the third Bulldog men’s soccer player to pursue a career in the MLS, following Ross Schunk ’09, who was drafted 47th overall by the Colorado Rapids in 2009, and Adam Acosta ’05, who signed with Real Salt Lake as a free agent in 2006.

“This is a tremendous honor for all of us here at the University of Redlands. We felt all along that once Richie got invited to the combine that he could show the MLS coaches his skills and talents, and today really exemplifies that he belongs in the MLS. We wish him all the best in succeeding in Philadelphia,” Head Men’s Soccer Coach Ralph Perez stated.

After shining at the 2014 MLS Player Combine last week, MLS coaches took notice of the Bulldog defender. Not only did he turn heads on the field during each of his team’s three games at the combine, but he impressed in the off-field physical testing by ranking second overall in the Opta Jump (20.5″) and fifth in the 30-meter sprint (3.96 seconds).

Marquez racked up the accolades while playing for the Bulldogs, including a D3Soccer.com Third-Team All-America nod, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year award, and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First-Team All-West Region accolade.

After finding out that he had been selected by the Philadelphia Union, Marquez sat down with the Sports Information Office to talk about his draft-day experience.